I got hooked on barefoot running the first time I tried it. I was 54 years old and had been running in shoes for more than three decades. Until I took off the shoes, I was usually in some sort of pain.

On a bright warm day last April, I was about two miles into a trail run at Green Lakes State Park when I decided on a whim to take off my shoes and socks and hide them behind a rock. I wasn't sure how far I would get, but the grassy dirt path was still soft from the thaw. I ended up running five miles.

That was probably dumb. As I learned later, experts advise making a slow transition to barefoot running, to avoid injury. Ignorant, I jumped right into the deep end.

I got away with it, probably because the ground was springtime soft. Not only got away with it, but came away healed. The hip pain that had dogged me relentlessly for months disappeared during the run. It never returned.

If you are, like me, an overweight, middle-aged weekend warrior, you probably understand joint pain and can appreciate the joy of having it melt away. Others will have to take my word for it. It feels like a miracle.

After that first run, I swore off shoes.

More exactly, I sought a different kind of shoe. I now run in those funny-looking Vibram Five Fingers. They feel almost like being barefoot but provide just enough protection to take the zing out of pebbles, twigs and other little hazards.

I don't run on roads, so I know nothing about running barefoot on asphalt, but some of the trails I run on are littered with enough rocks, briars and roots to make running with naked feet a little too arduous for me. Five Fingers offers a nice solution, for about the cost of running shoes. There are other companies that make minimalist running shoes, too, and I think the variety will grow.

The point is this: If your feet are no longer wrapped in puffy, overly protective running shoes, you have to run differently. Your feet will insist. Your knees will bend more, your steps will get shorter and lighter.

Will that cure your sore knee or your plantar fasciitis? I don't know. From what I understand, the medical community is still divided on the benefits of barefooting. My experience has been purely positive.

Well, one caveat: Five Fingers shoes are less than ideal for Syracuse winters. I have the warmest ones available, and I use them to run in the snow, but my toes sometimes freeze, and I hope to find a better option next winter.

My tale should also be taken with this grain of salt: I run very slowly. I have no idea how barefoot running fits into training and racing and competition. I like to run as long as possible, so I don't worry about speed.

In the end, I run mainly for enjoyment. Running barefoot through woods and meadows is enjoyable.